Congratulations Gabriel Cordell: First person to "roll" across the U.S.

The Burbank Leader article below is about a truly extraordinary man who undertook an incredible journey.  I am honored to know that Gabriel Cordell lives in the district, and hope you will help me share his inspiring story.  Congratulations Gabriel Cordell!

Paraplegic isn't bound by his wheelchair: first to roll across U.S.

Buoyed by crowds and a drive to do something 'extraordinary,' man rolls across the U.S.

By Alene Tchekmedyian
alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Gabriel Cordell had been on the road for about three months.

The 42-year-old paraplegic was drenched in sweat, rolling his wheelchair through one of the most grueling stretches of his 3,100-mile, 99-day journey across the United States: the winding hills of Pennsylvania against the debilitating summer heat and humidity.

By this point, he'd ripped through dozens of pairs of gloves, recorded hundreds of hours of footage for his documentary, "Roll with Me," and busted just one set of tires on his wheelchair after rolling through roughly 2,800 miles of land since taking off in April from the Burbank YMCA.

He was exhausted.

His eyes, as always, faced the ground. Looking ahead would only discourage him.

That's until a sea of children at summer camp, clad in yellow and red T-shirts, ran toward him, fist-pumping, clapping and cheering. Several of Cordell's crew members leading the way in a 31-foot RV had briefed the campers on Cordell's mission —he'd be the first person to roll across the United States in a manual wheelchair.

In awe, they wanted to cheer him on.

"As adults, you think this guy is minus an ability," said "Roll with Me" co-producer Chris Yanke. "To the kids, he was like a superhero."

Cordell was stunned.

"It was fuel for the soul at that particular moment," he said.

Cordell has been bound to a wheelchair for more than two decades.

On Oct. 17, 1992, he was on his way to his first acting audition in New York City. He usually took the train into the city from Long Island, but on that day, he drove. Five blocks from his home, a driver blew a red light and T-boned his Jeep Wrangler.

He was ejected from the car and hit his back against a telephone poll, crushing his spinal cord.

He woke up in the middle of the street, his steering wheel still in his hands. At that moment, he knew.

I'm paralyzed.

Years before the accident, Cordell promised himself that he was going to do something "extraordinary" with his life.

Last summer, after spending five years addicted to cocaine and crystal meth, he realized he was running out of time.

"As quickly as I checked out, I checked back in," Cordell said. "I just woke up and said, 'I'm done.'"

After doing some research, he discovered that no one had rolled across the country in a standard wheelchair. So he joined the Burbank YMCA and spent the next eight months training — physically and mentally — for his trek across the country.

His sister, Abeer Gilbert, was just one of many who called him crazy.

"I thought he was out of his mind," she said.

That didn't stop him.

On April 1, all cameras were on Cordell as he rolled out of the Burbank YMCA. Over the course of 99 days, Cordell averaged 32 miles a day, at roughly 5 miles per hour.

There were scares along the way, including a pair of pit bulls in Arizona that nearly attacked him, and the deadly tornado that ripped through Oklahoma.

"I was in pain the whole time," Cordell recalled, adding that he had just three restful nights of sleep.

Day to day, the journey could even get boring, said Derek Gibbs, a 28-year-old cyclist who joined the crew in New Mexico.

"We would wake up, take a deep breath and say, 'OK, just go,'" Gibbs said, adding that Cordell's determination kept him going. "He doesn't have gears to make it easier. I thought, 'If this guy's doing it, I should never have a problem.'"

The hundreds, if not thousands, of people the team encountered along the way provided motivation — like the wheelchair basketball team that rolled Cordell through his 1,000th mile, and the hundreds of people cheering at his alma mater, West Hempstead High School, on July 8 as he crossed his finish line.

"It became bigger than me," Cordell said. "It quickly turned into inspiring people across this nation."

The documentary is slated to be completed in 2015.

FYI - For more information on Cordell's journey, visit www.rollwithme.org.

NOTE:  A special thank you to the Burbank YMCA, Long Island YMCA, and Rollwithme.org for posting photo's of Gabriel's journey. 

You can read this article and more by visiting the Burbank Leader at www.burbankleader.com

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

Excerpt from a great article by Joyce Rudolph of the Burbank Leader about a truly great organization in Burbank.  There is a great quote by my eloquent Field Representative too!

Burbank Coordinating Council celebrates 80 years

Representatives from government offices joined those from PTAs, religious organizations, businesses, and local nonprofits to wish happy birthday Monday to the Burbank Coordinating Council, which turns 80.

President Eileen Cobos welcomed the more than 50 members and guests to the event at the Little White Chapel Social Hall, where community leaders thanked the council for creating some of the vital and enduring programs that make the city such a great place to live...

A volunteer carries a one of nearly 500 food boxes packed for
needy families a Holiday Basket event four years ago.
(Times Community News / December 12, 2008)

...Burbank Coordinating Council began in 1933 through the efforts of the Burbank PTA and Burbank Unified School District administrators. It has been responsible for beginning the Safety Sallies (school crossing guards), Burbank Temporary Aid Center, the Senior and Youth Boards, community forums, Child Guidance and Protection Programs, Books for Korea, Foster Home Studies and other programs.

The council received commendations from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

Suzanne Dunwell, senior field representative for Gatto, said presenting a piece of paper wasn't enough to commemorate the council for all its efforts over the last 80 years.

"You deserve a special gold star in heaven," Dunwell said of the eight decades of service to the community. "It is truly commendable and sets an example for all."

You can read this article and more at the Burbank Leader, by clicking HERE

Mike Gatto is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly. He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

Noon Lions Club Honors Poster Winners

A special congratulations to the winners of the Lions Clubs International “Imagine Peace” poster contest!

Burbank Noon Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest winners are, from left, Margo Akopov, 13, who attends John Muir Middle School and was representing the Boys and Girls Club; Micayla Siemon, 13, representing Luther Burbank Middle School; and Tanishka Nair, 11, representing Jordan Middle School. (Photo by Joyce Rudolph / December 4, 2012)

By Joyce Rudolph - Burbank Leader
December 4, 2012 | 1:54 p.m.

Three young women were recognized for their artwork when the Burbank Noon Lions Club honored the winners of the Lions Clubs International “Imagine Peace” poster contest in a ceremony held at the Burbank Central Library in November.

Winners were Margo Akopov, 13, who entered the contest through the Boys & Girls Club and attends Muir Middle School; Micayla Siemon, 13, who was entered by Luther Middle School; and Tanishka Nair, 11, who was entered by Jordan Middle School.

In his welcome speech, Noon Lions Treasurer Bud Alleman said the student who goes all the way to the top of the global contest can win $5,000 and a trip to New York to attend Lions United Nations Day. This event marked the first level of judging and the winners artworks go on to the next level. Winners received $25 each and a certificate as well as certificates from the city of Burbank and the offices of Rep. Adam Schiff, State Sen. Carol Liu, Assemblyman Mike Gatto and Supervisor Michael Antonovich.

Each winner told how they were inspired to create their poster relating peace.

Micayla said her poster illustrated a peaceful, restful, grassy field.

“This meant peace to me,” she said.

Tanishka painted a rainbow, music notes, a dove and a hand with “peace,” “love” and ”hope” tattooed on three of the fingers.

Margo, who won in a previous year, tried to illustrate how people see peace in their own way, through dance, art or anything they love, she said.

Council member Jess Talamantes congratulated the winners saying it was quite an honor, especially for the repeat winner. This kind of success comes from a strong foundation that the parents provide, Talamantes said, along with encouragement from younger and older siblings.


You can read this story and more at the Burbank Leader by clicking HERE

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Atwater Village, and portions of the Hollywood Hills and East Hollywood.   www.asm.ca.gov/gatto  

Poet David Meyerhof recognized by Assemblyman Gatto

By Joyce Rudolph

October 24, 2012 | 12:38 p.m.

David Meyerhof of Burbank is a published poet, and now everyone in his hometown knows it.

Meyerhof received recognition from the city of Burbank, the State Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday at the Little White Chapel during the first public presentation of his book of poetry, “Look Beyond.” It is now available on more than 100 websites around the world, he said.

The event included a piano recital by Sophie Wiegand, who is an eighth-grader at Luther Burbank Middle School. Meyerhof signed his book and Sophie made her music DVD available at the end of the program. Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) presented the California State Assembly certificate to the poet.

Meyerhof is a retired middle school teacher who taught for 33 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

His parents escaped from Germany and survived the Holocaust. David's grandfather, Otto Meyerhof, won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for describing how sugar is converted into energy in the human body.

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You can read this article and more at the Burbank Leader by clicking HERE

 

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the California State Assembly.  He represents the cities of Burbank, Glendale, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.  E-mail Mike at: assemblymember.gatto@assembly.ca.gov, or call (818) 558-3043.

Website of Assemblyman Mike Gatto: www.asm.ca.gov/gatto